The overall goal of the proposed project is to assess the independent and relative effects on school performance, self- conceptions, alienation, absenteeism and dropping out, of a full range of situational, social and psychological factors operating in the schools, peer groups, and homes of rural Indian students in grades 7-12, in order to provide a more adequate empirical basis for designing effective educational programs needed to raise the educational and occupational performances of Indian youth. A review of the literature indicates that relatively few effective, multi-variate, studies on Indian student performance have been reported. Approximately 400 Indian students, attending 12 junior and senior public high schools serving the Colville Reservation, will be interviewed by trained, experienced Indian interviewers. Also interviewed will be: 100 parents or guardians of the interviewed students; 30 Indian students who have completely dropped out of secondary school; 70 randomly selected teachers and administrators; and 50 non-Indian control subjects matched on pertinent variables. The estimated dropout rate for Colville Indian secondary students is 45-47 percent. A relatively large number of psychological and situational variables derived from the literature, observations and suggestions of Indian leaders and insightful school personnel, will be incorporated in the study. Standardized, tested measures will be used where possible along with a number of new scales. Scales and interviewing methods recently used by the Principal Investigator with a sample of 110 urban Indians in Seattle, Washington, will be incorporated where appropriate. Systematic observations of teachers' behavioral styles and their effect on student performance and feelings, will be conducted. Standard methods of data-reduction and multi-variate analysis will be used to analyze the data. As a form of institution- building, a group of four Colville Indians will be trained in educational planning and community organization functions to provide a vehicle for directly utilizing the results of this study in subsequent action programs.